


Coffee Stains

by digitalworldbound



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Digimon Adventure tri., Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28413381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitalworldbound/pseuds/digitalworldbound
Summary: As Hikari and Takeru navigate their first semester of college,  they are faced with the greatest challenge of all: growing up. In between homework, coffee shop meet-ups, and messy relationships, Hikari and Takeru learn that growing up sometimes means growing apart.
Relationships: Takaishi Takeru | T.K. Takaishi/Yagami Hikari | Kari Kamiya
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Coffee Stains

The smell of coffee beans and something earthy greeted Yagami Hikari as she allowed the air condition to wash over her. Hokkaido University had quickly become home to some of her favorite spots, but she especially favored the Green Bean Café.

As a small bell jingled in her arrival, a blonde head perking up across the room. With a goofy grin plastered onto his cheeks, Takaishi Takeru eagerly waved her over. If Hikari hadn’t of picked Hokkaido University for its stellar education program, she would have picked it to stay near her Takeru’s rosy cheeks and inside jokes. With a small wave, Hikari strolled up to the barista. 

Laptop out, Takeru’s fingers danced across the keyboard, the clacking sound mingling with hushed conversations. Despite only two weeks passing since the beginning of term, his literature major kept him busy. More often than not, Hikari would search for him after freshmen orientation events, only to find that he had ditched the ceremonies in lieu of overpriced coffee and a Jane Austen novel. 

After ordering her usual, she joined her friend at a table along the back wall. Fingers still hard at work, Hikari figured she had a few more minutes to herself before Takeru would be ready to chat. She wrapped herself around her steaming mug of hot chocolate, raising an eyebrow at her friend’s half-empty cup. 

“What are you working on?” she pressed. His blue eyes were focused on his computer screen, eyebrows pulled together. An answer never came, but Hikari wasn’t surprised. Once Takeru was engrossed in something, it was hard to pull him away. With his attention divided elsewhere, she took the advantage to look over his features without the fear of being caught. Eyebrows furrowed in concentration, bottom lip caught between his teeth, Takeru was glorious in the afternoon sunlight.

Since she was a little girl, she had the curve of his nose memorized. She could recall ever single instance in which his arms had held her and could testify against Daisuke anytime he called Takeru “weak”. She could not remember, however, the moment in which she fell in love with him. The two had shared too many moments for her to pinpoint a specific one, the golden haze of childhood melting into something deeper. 

After a few more minutes, he looked up expectantly. “Hika-chan, look!” She felt her cheeks color at the use of an old nickname and prayed that Takeru would remain oblivious. Turning his computer to face her, he eagerly explained a literary thesis, going into depth about the author’s true intentions behind symbolism and allusion and other terms that Hikari couldn’t quite wrap her head around. She did her best to listen, though, nodding and smiling at just the right moments. 

Once his voice lulled to stop, Takeru took a thoughtful sip of his coffee. “You know,” he began, blonde hair twinkling in the sun, “I never thought we would end up here.”  
“Where? At a coffee shop?” Hikari laughed, a singular eyebrow quirking in question. His huff of exasperation ruffled her bangs, making her laugh harder. “You should know better than that. We practically lived in a twenty-four-hour ramen shop for our last year of high school.”

“No, silly, that we would end up in college. To be honest,” he paused, taking a thoughtful sip of his coffee, “I always assumed we would die some tragic fate at the hands of an evil, child-eating clown.” He laughed, warming Hikari’s cheeks with the memory. “Now, I’m much more afraid of what my academic advisor thinks.”

“So, you’re telling me that Mr. Nakurama scares you more than our dear friend Piemon?” Incredulousness coated her voice, eyes reflecting a playful glint. 

“Of course!” he retorted, sipping on his coffee. “However, I was actually referring to the fact that after all these years, it’s still the two of us. With Daisuke exploring the world with his noodle cart and Miyako studying abroad, I am surprised that even a few of us managed to stick together. It’s too bad that we don’t have any classes together.” 

Beneath his teasing nature, Takeru’s words rang true. Their friends had all gone their separate ways. It was seldom that they were able to text each other, and even more rare to meet up in person. Hikari and Takeru had somehow beaten the odds. It seemed to the brunette that there was an invisible pull of gravity between the two, always leading them back to one another. “Oh, wow, Takeru-kun, is this a love confession?” Hikari leaned forward with a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. It was rare that the tables turned, and the brunette could tease him. She vowed to pounce on every opportunity.

“Absolutely.” Takeru joked, packing his computer away. 

She leaned back in her seat, eyeing him suspiciously. “Oh, are you busy?”

His blue eyes glanced in her direction before continued rummaging through his bag. “Not really. Mr. Nakurama thought it would be a good idea to pair all of his freshmen advisees so that ‘we don’t start college alone.’ He assigned us all a project to do together, and the rough draft is due next week.” Takeru ran his fingers through his hair, carelessly fluttering his locks around his face. Hikari’s eyes followed his movements, temporarily mesmerized. Yamato would spend hours styling his hair, meticulously gelling until it appeared natural. Takeru didn’t have to try.

The blond tilted his head in confusion, turning pink under Hikari’s gaze. Shaking her head, she tried to recover. “So soon? Do you get along with your partner, at least?”  
“I’m not sure; I haven’t met them yet. Technically, I was supposed to meet whoever it is about thirty minutes ago in the Central Library.” Glancing down at his wristwatch, Takeru stood up and chugged the rest of his drink. 

Hikari gasped in disbelief. “Takeru-kun! You’ve kept them waiting for half an hour?”

Shrugging his bag on, Takeru flashed her a grin. “I wanted to see you first.”

The warmth on her face was unavoidable. Hikari could feel the heat radiating off the tips of her ears. Takeru’s smile deepened before he jokingly pulled on a loose strand of her hair. “You’re cute when you blush. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

Before Hikari could retaliate, Takeru slipped out of the front door.   
-  
When choosing her dorm, Hikari had only specified three requirements: the building must be close to campus, have more than one washer, and be near Takeru. At the time, she hadn’t thought to specify any roommate requests. On freshmen move-in day, Hikari was shocked to see that they placed her with anyone, much less place her with someone like Kuroe. 

Kuroe was a freshman art major with an eccentric personality. Her hair was dyed the color of a blueberry, hanging down past her waist. Once Hikari laid eyes on her, she knew they would be good friends. Any person with fiery eyes like Miyako was a friend worth having. 

A heavy bass guitar pounded through the door as Hikari twisted her key in the lock. ‘Kuroe must be in one of her moods.’ Sweat dripped down her neck. The fifteen minutes between her dorm and the coffee shop was brutal, the sun cooking her to a crisp. Toeing off her shoes in the entrance, Hikari grimaced at the state of their shared bedroom. Crumbled paper was haphazardly thrown across the floor, the bodies of lifeless energy drinks making the room resemble a battlefield. 

“Where have you been, Hikari-san?” Kuroe yelled over the music, hair pinned back with several paint brushes. Her desk was littered with watercolor paints, staining the girl’s fingertips. Being naturally extroverted, Kuroe loved conversation. Whether it was five in the afternoon or three in the morning, the budding artist was eager to discuss true crime cases, scandals in Japanese history, or a dog she met that day. 

Stepping around the trash, Hikari tossed her bag onto her own desk, flopping on her bed face first. Rolling to her side, she cast a sideways glance at her roommate. “I believe the more appropriate question is where have you been? I didn’t see you at the orientation meeting.”

Kuroe snorted. “Eh, not my thing. I’d much rather be slaving away over this jellyfish portrait for my professor, anyway.” She paused mid-brush stroke. “You never answered my question.”

“I grabbed coffee a with Takeru-kun. He also skipped the orientation meeting, but wanted to show me his thesis. ”

“Are you sure that’s all he wanted to show you?” The music pounded away, nearly obscuring the blue-haired girl’s suggestive remark. Hikari’s cheeks colored anyway. She wondered how many times a person could blush until they spontaneously combusted. 

“Kuroe-san! Takeru-kun is practically my brother.” Kuroe giggled at the indignation in Hikari’s voice. Groaning, the brunette buried her face deep into her pillow.   
“I’ve never met someone that was painfully in love with their own brother before, but to each their own I guess,” Kuroe smirked, turning her attention back to the sea creatures that swam across her page. 

Hikari’s face shot up, a fearful look in her eyes. “Is it that obvious?”

Kuroe out right laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Instead of responding, she turned the radio’s dial up, drowning out Hikari’s protests. 

“Could you at least turn the radio down so that I can hear about your exciting day?” Hikari grumbled. Mattress springs protested as she maneuvered herself upright, desperate to change the subject. 

Sighing, her roommate obliged. She tucked her remaining paint brush into her bun, swiveling her desk chair towards Hikari. “Since you are so invested in my day, I guess I’ll tell you. Firstly, freshman English is a joke. The professor is crazy! It’s only the first month, and I already have two essays to write.” 

Hikari nodded in understanding. Her high school courses did little to prepare her for the intense workload that college thrust upon her. More often than not, Hikari spent her nights in the library, writing lesson plans or researching educational philosophies. It was a rare treat that she got to spend leisure time in her room. 

“I would much rather write ten essays than one more lesson plan.” Hikari sympathized. An exhale of frustration ruffled her fringe. 

“To make things worse,” Kuroe rambled on, hands moving to emphasize her story, “Some bitch in that class thinks it is her personal duty to embarrass me anytime I speak up. Take today’s class for example: I had to explain the symbolism behind that damned green light in The Great Gatsby. So, as any good pupil would, I did. Then, Miss Entitled just had to speak up. She told the whole class about how ‘primative’ and ‘unimaginative’ my explanation was.” Her eyebrows bunched together, eyes rolling in place, “Hikari-san, I almost knocked her teeth out.” By the end of her explanation, Kuroe’s cheeks were rosy. 

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t get that far. You would have been kicked out of school, and I would be roommate-less for the rest of term. Did your teacher do anything about it?” The clenching of her friend’s jaw gave Hikari the answer she needed, but she waited patiently as Kuroe stumbled over her words.

“Of course not. Teachers love it when students kiss ass, especially little pure-bred puppies like her. The people beside me laughed out loud when Sensei agreed. I wanted to peacefully pass away.” With a deafening screech, Kuroe pushed her chair out. Grumbling nonsense under her breath, she half-heartedly apologized for the mess. 

“You’re fine. I spent my entire childhood sharing a room with my older brother. Some of my clothes still smell like boy-sweat.” Hikari joked, laying back on her pillows. Since the term had begun, she had found very little time to enjoy being in college. Taichi told her stories of wild parties and exploring the city in the wee hours of the morning, boasting about all of the trouble he would get himself into.

All Hikari managed to do was turn her assignments in on time and drink over-priced coffee. The mid-August sun had depleted whatever energy she had left during her walk back to her room, so instead of getting plastered at four in the afternoon like her brother, Hikari wrapped her plush comforter around herself. 

Kuroe busied herself with tidying up, humming an unidentifiable tune. Underneath the sounds of shifting furniture and rustling trash bags, there was a comforting stillness in the room. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, dancing across the carpet like candle flames. Her homework sat uncompleted in her bookbag; educational philosophies half-finished. Tucked snugly in her cocoon of warmth, Hikari had just enough time to envision a pair of piercing blue eyes before her own fluttered shut.


End file.
